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 22,261 antiques pages browsed today 0 antiques uploaded 19 July
ANTIQUE #SA540179

Portrait Of John Baines C.1680; Circle Of Simon Dubois (1632-1706)

Status: This item has been sold
Sold by: Titan Fine Art

The gentleman in this portrait has been depicted wearing a striking crimson tunic and a well-made wig, something that was essential to a gentleman of fashion. The tunic is made of the finest iridescent shot silk and it would have been quite a spectacle as it shimmered as changed colour at different angels.
 
Wigs were very unnatural hairpieces that no one could pretend to mistake them for natural hair. But their popularity was immense and by this time so fashionable. The demand fuelled prices so much that natural hair became a valued commodity, with the usual price being 3 pounds an ounce. Dealers sprang up in all quarters. In France every peasant girl was trying to sell her hair and in England the hair of an old woman, after death, sold for 50 pounds. Wigs could form part of a woman’s dowry. Wig theft was so common that it was deemed necessary to create a name for a wig thief (chiving lay) and it was a precarious adventure taking a Hackney Carriage across London for fear that t...
Antique SA540179 shown on this page was made in the 17th Century. For historical context, the timeline below highlights the period when it was created:
←C17th
Famous inventions historic timeline graphic to help to give historical context to the date of this antique.
CONTACT DETAILS OF SELLER:
TITAN FINE ART PROFILE PHOTO WHICH LINKS TO DEALER PAGE
Titan Fine Art
Specialist in 17th & 18thC portraits. Highly curated selection, museum-level research & pro conservation. Exceptional art, expertly vetted.
London
United Kingdom
Tel: 07875 412 111
STATUS
THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD